It is the first day of December as I write this, and all of a sudden it is wintertime! We are in the second week of the deer firearms season here in the Mountain State, and the serious hunters got some snow on the ground they have been waiting for. Here at my satellite office, the Turkey Track Lodge, it is 28 degrees and the wind is what you might call brisk.
I have decided to keep working and not pursue the whitetail buck today. Sacrifices have to be made.
For those of you out there who follow this column regularly, and I really appreciate all seven of you, you know at this time of year I usually take stock and see what is going on during deer season. The first week of the season was fast and furious for yours truly as I was lucky enough to get to hunt with Makayla and Jesse Scott for a couple of days.
Again, those of you who tune into these pages know of Makayla, the spitfire of a shotgun shooter I have written about before. Makayla is now 18 and has a wall full of shooting trophies and medals, is a writer of some note in the shooting world, is a brand ambassador for CZ-USA firearms and started the first Scholastic Clay Target Program chapter in the state of West Virginia. Oh yeah, did I mention she organized the building of a trap and skeet field in her own backyard so young shooters would have a place to be introduced to the sport?
For all her busy schedule in her shooting career, Makayla is an enthusiastic hunter, and her 10-year-old brother Jesse is following in her footsteps. I was looking forward to going hunting with these two – but was feeling the usual pressure when guiding of being able to put them on game.